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Claiming we don't have to wear masks or go into lockdown because it violates our freedom focuses on individual rights while ignoring our responsibilities. Being a member of a free society means respecting the right of others. Our freedom to behave however we want should be limited if that behavior endangers the health of others.

See also: helmets on motorbikes, seat belts, gun control, smoking bans.

EDIT: sorry, forgot to do the bit where you quote the origiginal poster - I was agreeing with Jazus's post above re 'freedom'.

The differences between a political party that gives a shit about its citizens and one that doesn't is repeatedly underscored by the Welsh versus English government.

Yet again, Wales are acting based on SAGE advice, returning kids to school in a careful, phased approach, watching the rate of infection careful, while Johnson is basically just opening the floodgates in England allowing every kid to return pretty much immediately:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-56182131


Meanwhile we STILL have health professionals and epidemiologists screaming from the rooftops that no school mitigation measures have taken place (compulsory mask wearing, properly ventilated classrooms, smaller class sizes etc), so the likelihood of another wave is high as children mix and bring the virus into the wider community.

https://youtu.be/rpJnk1g-098

https://twitter.com/dgurdasani1/status/1362390053029306368?s=21

Ha! Yes, gas pipes supplying power stations froze solid, and they blamed wind turbines. Wind generation did drop off something like 30%, but then it only supplies about 16% of the total electricity for the state! Crazy loons!

There's a good breakdown of what happened here:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-the-deep-freeze-caused-texas-to-lose-power/


The frozen gas pipelines also affected electricity in Mexico:

https://www.pipeline-journal.net/news/texas-deep-freeze-also-freezes-gas-pipelines-mexico-leaving-millions-without-power

Aye, geoengineering is a bit of a climate hot potato.

Some argue that with no signs of emissions falling quickly enough we may have no choice but to turn to them. Other scientists are against interfering further in an already chaotic system being made more so by climate pollutants, and instead should focus on radical decarbonisation. Others again say this is just a technological sticking plaster which allows polluters to continue polluting, where they just wave their hands Jedi-like and say "don't worry, geoengineering/technology will fix all the crap we're pumping more and more of into the atmosphere."

Some of the discussions around this pop up here:

https://e360.yale.edu/features/geoengineer-the-planet-more-scientists-now-say-it-must-be-an-option


You might also find the book 'Ministry of the Future' by Kim Stanley Robinson an interesting read, in that it takes the scientific theory of geoengineering and includes it in his story about how a continent deploys it (particulate matter to create cloud cover, which temporarily stalls global heating, allowing more time to decarbonise if I remember correctly) after they suffer a cataclysmic warmth/humidity event that kills millions.

My take on it all is we should consider ALL potential solutions, but decarbonisation must at the heart of anything we do, otherwise we're just stalling the inevitable rise of temperature that exceeds the ability of flora and fauna to withstand/adapt to it (which is, of course, already happening).

A paper on COVID19 transmission amongst children.

Even a quick skim of this shows how foolhardy and irresponsible it is to re-open schools without transmission mitigation measures (masks, ventilation, reduced class sizes etc etc) to prevent transmission to the wider community.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.5694/mja2.50823

One of the co-authors of the booklet attached above did a fantastic podcast not long ago, discussing his academic history of studying human psychology, and why he became interested in conspiracy theories. It's a fascinating listen.

Here's the YouTube link, but you can find it in your usual iPhone/android podcast sites too:

https://youtu.be/cOhuFYHccEM

Beijing just hit 25.6°C today.

This is a full +5.8° hotter than the record from 1996 and about +20°C warmer than normal for this time of year. It beat the record of  20°C - which was set yesterday. 😳

North and South Korea also recorded their hottest February day ever.

How on earth can the U.K. be hosting COP26, lauding itself for reducing CO₂, then opening its first bloody coal mine in 30 years?! It's ludicrous! Hypocrisy at its most blatant!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/20/absolutely-ridiculous-top-scientist-slams-uk-government-over-coalmine

 U.K. Comic Fans Xmas New Year raffle draw MKII - 20 Feb 2021

Hi all - yet another raffle update!

As I did not hear from previous winners, Lee Higginbottom, Paul Keyes, and Chris Bennett, I have had to redraw for three prizes.

Watch the video for the redraw. The new winners are:

Richard Anderson-Relf: Judge Minty miniature

Lisa Paul: Rogue Trooper rucksack

Mick Ramsay: SK Moore Dredd sketch

WINNERS: Please get in touch with your postal address please!

https://youtu.be/iW47rD5975M

Agreed.

My fine Dredd coffee mug arrived also, very well secured (expect bubble-wrap and parcel tape shortages in the Cardiff area). Thanks again, great prizes, great cause.

You know me mate, it's all recycled! I expect you had bits of bubble wrap from Helm and some of my 3A Dredds mixed in there. 😄

Glad it arrived safely.

And yes, that Vote Dave tee is one of the best designs Tharg has released of late. I have two - one for everyday wear, and one for best.

The Good Law Project has won the first of several court actions against the U.K. government related to dodgy contracts given out to Tory mates due to COVID19 (ie PPE, marketing and communications, ICU equipment, track and trace etc etc), without oversight, scrutiny or tender. The court has found the government has acted illegally.

" The High Court has ruled "The Secretary of State acted unlawfully by failing to comply with the Transparency Policy" and that "there is now no dispute that, in a substantial number of cases, the Secretary of State breached his legal obligation to publish Contract Award Notices within 30 days of the award of contracts." We have won the judicial review we brought alongside Debbie Abrahams MP, Caroline Lucas MP, and Layla Moran MP.

In handing down the judgment, Judge Chamberlain brought into sharp focus why this case was so important. "The Secretary of State spent vast quantities of public money on pandemic-related procurements during 2020. The public were entitled to see who this money was going to, what it was being spent on and how the relevant contracts were awarded."

The Judge went on to say that if Government had complied with its legal obligations we "would have been able to scrutinise CANs and contract provisions, ask questions about them and raise any issues with oversight bodies such as the NAO or via MPs in Parliament."  When Government eschews transparency, it evades accountability.

Government's behaviour came under criticism in the judgment. If it had admitted to being in breach of the law when we first raised our concerns, it would have never been necessary to take this judicial review to its conclusion. Instead, they chose a path of obfuscation, racking up over £200,000 of legal costs as a result. 

We shouldn't be forced to rely on litigation to keep those in power honest, but in this case it's clear that our challenge pushed Government to comply with its legal obligations. Judge Chamberlain stated that the admission of breach by Government was "secured as a result of this litigation and at a late stage of it" and "I have no doubt that this claim has speeded up compliance". It begs the question, if we hadn't brought this legal challenge, what other contract details would have remained hidden from view?"

https://goodlawproject.org/update/the-judgment-is-in/

Dave the Orangutan, the last of my 2000AD models, arrived safely with raffle winner Richard J Rundle, pictured here sporting an appropriate T-shirt.

MacNeil

Ron Smith.